Norm Peterson

I've contemplated the same thing, @NWUhusker.

We lose Kavas and Cheatham and replace them with an eligible Banton, Walker and Donovan Williams. Plus whoever fills the spot vacated by D'Andre Davis. I'm anticipating that both Kavas and Cheatham will play important roles for us this year, and each brings a very useful skill to the table. But seniors graduate all the time and get replaced by freshmen all the time, so it's not just a straight swap because you also get incremental improvement from the players who return. Having said that, some have said Banton is the best player on the team. And he's sitting on the sidelines as a transfer this year, the year we're kind of expecting to struggle. And we'd struggle even if he was eligible. But next year, when he's eligible, the returning players around him will all have a leg up over where they are today and we'll have an opportunity to backfill some of the vacancies to get those additional pieces we might need but don't have right now. Yeah, this could be a 2-year turnaround.

Go look at their roster. It's all freshmen, sophomores and transfers. With just a couple of exceptions, including a few juniors who don't play much. They're like us a year from now.

I think he's talking about us:

That lineup goes 6'2, 6'3, 6'4, 6'5, 6'9. The starting lineup for Doc's best team went 5'7, 5'11, 6'3, 6'4, 6'5. I agree what you say is important, though. We need 25 good minutes of rebounds and post D from Yvan, Cam driving and dishing, and the other 3 knocking down treys at a 37% or better clip. Also, don't forget Thor.

Are you talking gel in terms of chemistry or gel in terms of picking up the offense? I heard chemistry was good but there's a lot of new offense still being installed and that takes time to get 5 guys on the same page.

I look at this roster and, granted, it's not like we have a lot of info to base a judgment on, but I still think we have guards who can compete at this level. We have Big Ten-quality guards. And plenty of them. What this roster lacks on paper is interior defense and rebounding. I'd imagine a steep learning curve for Yvan -- meaning he'll make major strides in the near term -- but then that will shallow out as the season goes along. Probably a lot of ups and downs with him. Big questions: Is he physical enough? Does he have stickum on his fingers? Can he stay out of foul trouble? And then who subs for him? If he can swipe rebounds out of the air and can avoid foul trouble, we probably don't need much scoring out of him and any raw-ness when it comes to his offensive skill will be largely mitigated by our guards. The other issue is that, while I think we have guards who can get downhill in a hurry, I just don't know how many snipers we have from distance. Pretty sure Matej will not only get looks but also be able to bury them. But who besides him? In juco, Jervay shot a lot off the bounce rather than the catch-and-shoot. Can he be a guy who can spot up in the corner and bury open looks off the catch? What about Haanif? What about Dachon? Etc.? Those are the things I wonder about.

I always liked the Kenny Rogers/Sheena Easton version best.

So, as unknown as this roster was, it's almost kinda looking like our wild-ass lucky guesses back in July about who might start sorta look like they might have been correct. That is, of course, if you had Cam Mack as the starting PG (and who didn't? amiright?)

And there's a distressing lack of hoops discussion on the eve of the unofficial first game of the Fred Hoiberg era. What's wrong with you people? Don't you care?

OK, so, we've got March. That ain't bad.

Ocean currents. Warm water from the Caribbean travels across the Atlantic to Europe, passing Iceland along the way. It heats Europe and moderates their climate.

Wichita State's leading scorer in the scrimmage was a juco transfer in his 1st season with the Shockers. Their second-leading scorer was a sophomore. Most of their players are 1st or 2nd year players and hardly any of the guys who will likely contribute for them this season have been in their program more than a year already, the exception being senior starting center Jaime Echinique. They're expected to make the NCAA tournament. Just for some perspective.

The Barbra Streisand Effect.

How much under and why?

Makes sense.

Doc apparently remembers things more fondly:

Franz Wagner and Brandon Johns from Michigan.

Poor kid. Really feel for him, and I'm not just saying that.

Hmmmm. I'll take the overs.

By the way, lest there be any lack of clarity, I feel really bad for the Epperson kid from you-know-where. Good player coming out of high school and has been saddled with injuries his first two seasons. I'm sure he was hoping for a break-out year this year and now this happens. Poor kid. Really feel for him. And I know what being on crutches is like and it sucks. Badly. So, I've said a prayer for him. And I hope he recovers quickly and completely because being on crutches sucks and you only get one shot at a college career.

Imagine you're a message board poster for a team nearby. And you post on your team's board, on a thread related to your team's prospects for the upcoming season, that you're hopeful that a couple of players for a different team remain injured and out of the lineup when you face them later this year so that your team stands a better chance of winning. And then, literally within 40 minutes, news breaks that your projected starting center suffered a catastrophic leg injury. http://www.bluejayunderground.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5137&start=710 (Someone who's versed in these kinds of things, can you get a screen grab for me? Just in case denials issue.)

You're trying to give me PTSD or something.

This would be so random, it's hard to imagine it's just a coincidence. Doc, I agree with you, man! Can you get me in to watch some practices? For old time's sake? Tweet my avatar and I'll know you're listening/reading.

It's just that, of late, when I hear that word, millions of dollar signs flash before my eyes. I might wake up in a cold sweat tonight randomly screaming "buyout? we can't afford a GD buyout!"